Step 5: Cutting and Finishing

Step 6: Finishing

Yay! You now have real, delicious, fresh candy corn! Admire and taste your hard work. To ensure that it won't stick to the sheet, move the pieces aro...

This is a relatively easy way to make a candy corn unlike that found in stores: it's fresh and doesn't have a waxy coating. It's also slightly softer, and tastes the same as candy corn.
It's perfect for halloween, or any other time when sugar is needed.
I've found many recipes on the web, but they all seem to be the same, and do not have the necessary precision to ensure that soft candy corn, not rock candy, is created.
I'm not sure how long it keeps as it has never lasted more than a day or two before dissappearing.

Also, this is my first Instructable, so tell me anything you think I got wrong.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injuries, damages to person or property, etc... that may come from boiling hot sugar and other possibly allergenic ingredients over a very hot surface. That being said, please be careful.

Step 1: Ingredients and Utensils

Depeding on how much candy corn you want, you will need to either double or quadruple the recipe. I've used all these quantities, and the amount of candy you're making does not change the flavor, etc... of the candy corn. Due to some of the ingredients being difficult to measure in tiny quantities, I do not recommend halving the recipe.

If you use the metric system, a tbsp is 15mL. 1tsp is 5 ml, 1/4 cup is 60 mL.

Note on Ingredients:
Honey is not necessary; you can use corn syrup instead, but this will result in a slightly less candy-corn flavour.
However, do not leave out both the honey and corn syrup. They are necessary for making a dough, as well as for preventing crystallization.
I have not tried substituting butter with a vegan alternative, but if you don't want to use butter, a fat with a similar consistency, like coconut oil, should work fine, though it may affect the flavor.
The powdered sugar needs to be powdered. If it isn't, you will have a large sticky mess.
The salt is optional, but I find a pinch helps bring out the flavor.
Do not forget the powdered milk!!! I tried leaving it out once, and the result was disastrous. It needs to be powdered, not liquid. Sweetened condensed milk will work okay in a pinch, but, although the flavour will stay constant, the candy will be extremely soft and goey. This could possibly be remedied by raising the temperature 5F or so, but buying the powdered milk is well worth the effort. The only working substitute that I've found is soy protein powder. If you use it, you will still have a nice dough, but it will be thicker and have a soy-ish taste to it. It will also tend to be brittle.

Utensils/pots
2 roughly 8 inch (20cm) bowls. One is for mixing, the other for holding sticky utensils.
small, roughly 6 inch (15cm) pot
1/4 cup measuring cup
1tbsp measuring spoon
1/4 tsp measuring spoon
1/8 tsp or a clean finger
a wooden spoon, if possible one that doesn't taste of garlic or meat.
a cookie sheet, or any smooth surface
a flour sifter. This isn't crucial, but not using it will result in small clumps of milk and sugar in the candy.
a candy thermometer
If you do not have a candy thermometer, get one. A regular thermometer doesn't work at 250F and drop testing the sugar tends to be rather imprecise.

Before you even start measuring, please wash your hands. Do you really want dirt or ebolavirus in you candy corn?

I made these over the weekend and they are great! Thanks! I used unsalted butter and "No Salt" instead of salt, since I am on a very low sodium diet. Next time I am making a double batch, since these don't last long.One suggestion: use a pizza wheel instead of a knife to cut them up. It goes a lot faster and is easier on the hands.Great instructable! Thanks again.

Another factor that can affect some types of candy is humidity. I live in the Pacific NW (USA) and cannot make Divinity because the air is too moist so I get something closer to taffy than marshmallow. Thanks for the great recipe. I am going to try it and see what kind of fun I can have. I am also going to try and make some using Agave instead to see how that works but based on comments I think the corn syrup is probably a necessity.

The only step I think you left out is testing your candy thermometer's boiling point due to differences in altitude. Put your thermometer in boiling water and observe the temperature when the water is at a full boil. At sea level water boils at 212 degrees f. If your thermometer reads somethintg other than that then you must add or subtract the difference from your recipe. For example: I live at 4500 feet. When I test my thermometer it usually reads about 200 degrees when the water boils--12 degrees lower than at sea level. If a candy recipes says to boil to 350 degrees I subtract the 12 degrees difference and boil to 338 degrees. I know that many candy makers already know this; but a few don't so I am writing this to let them know. I don't generally like candy corn but this sounds like it would taste good due to the fact that it is fresh. And the color options are endless and fun. I also think different flavors could be added for even more fun. Caramel and green apple come to mind for me. Thanks for the recipe.

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, but I'm pretty sure why this happened (it happened to me before i figured it out.) Did you use a candy thermometer? I've found that even a few degrees can drastically affect the hardness of the candy. After about 260F, the sugar gets practically hard enough for toffee, and is unusable as candy corn. If you turned off the stove when the sugar hit 250F, then maybe you want to double check your measurements for the milk powder and sugar, since too much would stiffen the mixture (but not by much.) Hope this helps if you try it again :)

No, I've never tried using crisco. Come to think of it, I've never really thought of crisco as a food item, since I use it only to grease pans. I'm not sure if it would change the flavor or the consistency, but if you try it, could you tell me what happens?

Which kind of epic? The hard enough to gring for a ring epic, the sticker than gum on a hot day epic, or some other kind? Hardness is pretty much proportional to the temperature, which really matters (you can't just eyeball it and hope.)

Great instructable. You might want to put warnings on it though. Things like "Warning: sharp knives are sharp. I do not take any responsibility for cuts, scrapes, impailments, poking eyes out, or diabeties from eating too much sugar. Contains possible choking hazards so do not give to infants." (use that if you like) or something similar to cover your butt legally in case something goes wrong. Just a suggestion.

that is very very ture. but it would be funnier if you had spelled binary correctly (I purposely spelled that wrong as I like to be contradictory to myself to keep all you people on your feet. As they say in the fourth novel of very a well known series, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!) Good Day to You All